West Virginia argus. [volume] (Kingwood, W. Va.) 1877-1946, 1887-06-23
show you scores of men who utterly abhor

all on the right side, and some cnricature
hun, and some sneor az him, and some -,
nounce MN, ana men who pretend 20 DO nct-
I uatcd by right motives conspiro TO crippla
him, 20 cast him out, 10 destroy him. 1 saw.
stephen stoned When / see a man In
some great moral or religious reform battling
AGAINST groS-shops, exposing wickedness in
/ high places, by active means trying 10 purify
the Church and better the worlds eS-
tate, and find that the newspapers
anaJncnatizo him, and men, even good mon
oppose him and denounce him, because
though no does good, he does not do n i'm
their way, / say: "Stcphen stoned The
world, with infisits spite took after John
Frederick Oberlin, and Robert Moffat. md
raul, and stephen Of the text But YOU
notice, my friends, that while they assaulted
nun they did not succeed really i'm killing
him. Nou may assault good man. but Won
cannot XIII him. On tho day of his death
stephen spoke before n few people i'm the San.
hedrim; this Sabbath morning ho addrcSeos
all ChrlstcudOm. Paul the APOSTLE stood
on Mars Hill addressing handful OF
philosophers who knew not so much about
science as a modern school girl. Today he
talks 10 all tho millions of Christendom
about the wonders OF justification and the
glorles OF resurrection. John Wesley was
howled down 10y the mob 10 whom me preached
and they threw bricks mt him. and they DC
nounced him, and they lOSJ.v,I h4.h and they
spat upon him, and yet 10 day, iu all lands no
Is admitted TO be- the great father of Method
ism. Booths bullet vacated tie Presidential
chair; but from that spot of coagulatcd blood
on the noor i'm the loN Of Ford Theatre,
there sprang up the new life of nation.
/ stephen stoned; but Stephen alive
ass on now, and see Stephen in his dying
/ prayer. His first thought was not how the
stones hurt his mead, nor what would become
OF his body. His first thought was about his
spirit. Lord Jesus, receive my spirt.n The
murderer standing on the trap-door, the black
/ cap being drawn over his head before the eX.
ecutlOn, may grimacc about the future: but
. YOU and | have Shame gpnfacgino
anxiety about where we are going TO come out.
/ You are notall body Ther= = within you soul.
see II glcam from your eyes today, an
see 40 irradiating Your Countennnce Some
! not because come under your physical eye
\ sight, but because / realize the truth that !
/ stand before so many immortal spirits The
I probability is that your body Will at last find
| n Scpulture IN some of the cemeteries that
surround this city There is no doubt but
that your obscquies will be decent and re-
specttul, and you VIII be able to pillow your
| head under the maple, or the Norway spruce
or the cypress, or the bossoming fir; but this
/ spirit about which Stephen prayed, what di-
rection VIII that tallei What guide Will es-
cort II! What gate will open to receive
~ What cloud will be cleft for its pathway
Alter It has got beyond the light of our sun,
VIII there be torches lighted for the rest of
OF the wayf VIII the soul have To travel
through long deserts before il reaches the
goou landt If We should lose our pathway,
sasl< the way 10 the Cityl q, this mysterious
spirit within usi IL has two wings but il is
IN n cage now. 10 is locked fast TO keep
IL but let the door of this cage open the least,
ana that soul IS off. Eagles wing could not
catch IL. When the soul leaves the body it
takes fifty worlds at "A bound And have |
no anxiety about i'll Have YOU no anxiety
about IT. do not care what YOU do with NV
body when my soul is gone, or whether yon
DelcVe IN cremation or Inflammation. /
snail sleep just as well in wrapping
or sackcloth as in satin lined
with eagles down. But my soul-before |
leave this house this morning | will find out
where II IS going TO land. Thank God for the
lntlmaton of my text, that when we die
Jesus takes us. That answers all questions
Tor me. What though there were massive
bars between here and the city of light, jesus
could remove them. What though there were
great Saharas of darkness, Jesus could
lHume them What though i get weary
on the way, Christ could lift me on His
omnipotent shoulder. What though there
were chaSms TO cross. His hand could
transport me. Then let Stephens prayer be
my dying litany: 4" Lord Jesus, receive my
spirit 1t may be in that hour we shall loo
TOO feeble to say long prayer. 1t may be in
that hour we will not be able to saw the
" Lords Prayer" for it has seven petitions.
fcrhhps we may be too feeble even TO say the
infant prayer our mothers taught us which
John Quincy Adams, seventy years of age,
Sald every night when he put his head upon
his pillow:
Now lay me down 10 sleep,
pray the Lord my soul TO Keep"
We may be too feeble 10 employ either OF
these familiar forms; but this PRAYER of Ste
phen IS so short, Is 50 concise, is so earnest, is
so comprehensive, we surely will be able to
say that: Lord Jesus receive my spirit.n
., n that prayer Is answered, how sweet it
VIII be 10 diel This world is clever enough
70 us Porhapst has treated us a great deal
better than we deserved to be treated.
a IA fNrrfr. r..Ifs. hon .l..I
break the light Of that better world, we shall
nave no more regret about leaving a small
dark, damp house for one lnrge beautiful
and capacious, That dying minister in Phil
adephia, some years ago beautifully depicted
II when in tho last moment he threw up his
hands and cried out: II move into the lightln
Pass on now and / VIII show one more
picture, and that is Stephen asleep With a
pothos and simplicity peculiar 10 the Script
ures the text says Of Stephen: "He fell
aI,ep' 20, You say. "what a place that
was TO sleep. A hard rock under him. stones
falling down upon him, the blood streaming
tho mob bowling. What a place it was 20
sleep" And yes my text takes that symbol
Of slumhcr 10 describe his departure, 50
sweet was II, 90 contentcd was il, so
peaceful was IT, Stephen had lived
very laborious life. His chief work
had been 10 care for the poor. How many
looves OF bread bee distributed. how many
bare feet be had -andaled. how many cots Of
sickness and distress me blessed with minis
tries of kindnass and love, / do not know;
but from the way hc lived and the way he
preached and the way Inc died / know he
was laJOriOus Christian But that
IS an over now He haf pressed
the cup TO the last faintiug lin He
has taken the last insult from bis enemies
The last stone 90 whose crushing weight he is
susceptible has been hurled Stephen is deal !
The disciples come They take him mp. They
wash away the blood from the wounds 1hy
Etraighten out the bruised limbs They brush
back the tangled hair from the brow, and
then they pass around ~ look upon the
calm cOuntenance Of him who had lived
for the poor and died for the truth Stephen
asleep ] have eecu the sea driven with the
hurrican" until the tangled foam Caughtin the
rigging. and wave rising above wave seemed
o. NJ about 20 storm the heavens. and then /
have seen the tempest drop. aud the waves
crouch. md everything become smooth and
burni he'd ne though "a camping place for the
gIorIcs ~ heaven. SO j have seem "a man.
whose life bias been tossed aud driven. coming
down no last ~ nu infinite calm. boo which
there was tho hush OF en'sIul'aby stephen
asleep j saw such au one He fought aU
h 3 days against poverty and against abuse,
y hey tr1duacd hI name. They ratified at the
door knob while Doe was dying, with duus Tor
debts Doc could not pay. yet che peace Of Cod
nrCpded over DIS pillow. and while Che world
faded heaven dawucd and the deepening
twilight of earth night was only the opening
twilight Dt heaven morn. Not eigh not
t1r. Not % struggle Hushl Stephen